Clostridium pasteurianum is a gram positive, endospore-forming, obligately anaerobic rod shaped bacterium that fixes atmospheric nitrogen. It can efficiently utilise glycerol as a feedstock to produce the fuels n-butanol and 1,3-propanediol. The species was discovered (1893-95) in soil by the Russian microbiologist Winogradsky. The strain described here was obtained from the ATCC.